DIFFERENT ALPHABETS

– an introduction to interdisciplinary artistic work

Teachers: Michael Valeur og Micaela Kühn Jara

Contact: Morten Tandrup, Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium 

We call it art. But what are we doing when we create something?

When a dancer, actor, musician, author, filmmaker, or visual artist say that they create something, do they then talk about the same? Probably the answer is both yes and no.

When working with art, it is common to be curious about how the other art forms work.

It is like each one has its own language and alphabet – but what are the things we share, what do we have in common?

Investigating the different creative processes, we will look for common languages across different disciplines.

What can we learn from each other’s methods and the way we confront our own artwork practically?

This module will give a fundamental introduction to interdisciplinary work – with an explorative, curious and experimental approach.

Let’s see what we can do together, across the borders.

PREREQUISITES

If you are a student at The Danish National School of Performing Arts, The Royal Danish Academy of Music, Schools of Visual Arts – The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, The Royal Academy of Music, Danish National Academy of Music, Rhythmic Music Conservatory – you must be currently enrolled in a MA program.

If you are a student at The National Film School of Denmark, you must be in your 6th, 7th or 8th semester.

In any case, you must have an overall interest in interdisciplinarity, as well as in developing new artistic concepts and questioning conventional modes of creating.

Students from different schools and art forms will collaborate equally, therefore a sense of curiosity towards the other art forms is crucial.

Preapproval of course credits from your home institution is required to be able to participate in the module.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the module, you are expected to:

• Possess an insight in generating ideas across art forms and methods to develop them;
• Possess an understanding of the needs and process of a collaborative interdisciplinary project;
• Possess insight in methods and practices from other art forms and traditions;
• Be able to recognize similarities and differences in other art forms and their methods, and how they can be used in interdisciplinary projects;
• Have knowledge about presentation formats and methods, which can be used in interdisciplinary art-projects;
• Be able to reflect upon and discuss artistic choices in interdisciplinary projects
• Be prepared to independently and competently initiate or partake in interdisciplinary collaborations and networks.

ECTS

5

CONTENT

The course has an explorative and experimental approach. That means that we have defined a structure including lectures, inputs and exercises, but the implementation will be as open as possible, according to the group.

Besides our focus on interdisciplinary work across the different art forms, we will also look at collaborations with other fields of knowledge, such as natural sciences or social sciences, where methods and contents from the arts meet the ones from science.

The teachers have a substantial experience with interdisciplinary projects, but the participants and their backgrounds will be seen as an equal resources, in regard to work strategies and reflection.

We will work in the field of:

• practical investigations of artistic processes and collaborations
• methods, theory and practical work in the interdisciplinary field
• artistic presentation formats
• reflection on processes and results

TEACHING AND WORKING FORMATS

We will meet physically in the format of a three-day intensive workshop, followed by a number of shorter labs (please check below) to further explore special areas of interest and interdisciplinary minor group collaborations.

• Group workshops
• Presentations from the teachers, including guest lecturers
• Peer to peer formats, exchange between students
• Group-based and individual exercises
• Practical try-outs in small groups

ASSESSMENT

At the conclusion of the module, your qualifications are assessed in terms of your active subject-specific participation in the course. Assessment is undertaken by the teachers and the assessment awarded is: Approved/Not approved.

To pass the course we expect active participation throughout the workshops and digital lectures. Besides the attendance, this involves engaging in the proposed tasks and collaborating actively with the peers.

REFERENCES – LITTERATUR AO.:

• Texts with focus on interdisciplinary practices, e.g. Behind the scenes of artistic creativity Processes of learning, creating and organizing by Tatiana Chemi and Julie Borup Jensen.
• Anthologies that provide an overview, e.g. Multimedia – from Wagner to Virtual Reality by Randall Packer, Ken Jordan and Laurie Anderson.
• Artistic practices of artists such as Kirsten Delholm, Las Tesis, Matthey Barney, Mette Ingvartsen, Ofalur Eliasson, Tina Tarpgaard or Tomas Saraceno.
• Method texts by William S. Burroughs and Brian Eno, amongst others.

TIMES AND PLACES:

• Intensive Workshop: Monday, October 3 thru Wednesday, October 5, 2022, (Week 40) at 10:00 – 16:00 hrs.
• Labs – to be scheduled later

The workshop will take place at an external location, not yet decided. Labs will take place at RMC and/or one of the other art schools, depending on the home institutions of the participating students.